Upcoming PDGA Elections

[Eaglehigh99]

The 2009 PDGA elections will be beginning soon (7/1/09). As most of you know, I am the PDGA president and have been on the PDGA board for the last 5 years. With that in mind, I would appreciate your support for all of the incumbents (myself, Ron Convers, Juliana Korver & Todd Andrews). These individuals are each very important to maintaining the capable and mature board we now have. (Of course, having 2 KDGA members on the board has its benefits too.) We don’t necessarily see eye to eye on all subjects but each of us knows how to discuss, listen and, when possible, compromise to arrive at the best for the PDGA. If you agree with me, please use your influence and contacts to see that we are all re-elected. If you don’t, please give me a call to discuss what your concerns are with any of us. Of course, you are always welcome to call me to discuss anything else on your mind. Thanks for the support you have given me in the past.

Of course, vote for Smitty for state coordinator also.

I hope to be at Beloit. I will be at World’s in KC. Hope to see you there.

Bob Decker
316-264-6111
316-264-9544 (fax)
316-461-2384 (cell)

P.S. I'm still rather busy at work but will try to check this forum every few days and comment as requested.

[Swede]

kdga to the pdga, give 'er hell! i'm just a little uncomfortable with the gratuitous use of emotocons. when guys wink @ me they always want the same thing.

[str8]

Bob,

As a TD there is one major issue I'd like the PDGA to address. I have been promoting the 25th Annual Frontier for coming upon five years. We first started promoting it in the 21st Annual Player's Booklet. The Flying Bison club has worked our tails off to attract members to travel to Hays to participate in our event. Our tournament has ALWAYS been the weekend after Labor Day. Over the years I have been involved, we have seen St. Louis and Tulsa host competing events on the same weekend. If that wasn't enough competition, this year the Colorado State Championship was moved to the same weekend as the Frontier. Last year we had roughly 20 players from Colorado. Our Colorado attendance will be dramatically effected as a result of the CO Championship dates being moved. I feel this is a serious injustice to our tournament and the Colorado players who annually support our tournament. I strongly feel that tournaments such as the Frontier Open have earned a right to have our dates protected. Tournaments that have spanned two and half decades of PDGA sanctioning deserve to be treated better.

Str8

[smitty]

The only way to protect your date now is Host it as an A-tier or NT event. The distance perimeter is basically nothing.

[mrsenortyler]

Unfortunately, there are just too many events on the PDGA schedule. These scheduling conflicts become a bigger problem year after year.

[Eaglehigh99]

STR8:

The good news is that the sport is growing and there are more interested players to draw from now. Unfortunately, this causes confiicts such as yours. I have encountered the same with Doo Dah (Tulas, KC & St. Louis conflicts in the past) so I understand your concern to a point. Also, this was the 20th annual Doo Dah and we had a conflict with Nebraska. We were down only slightly from last year (less than 5 players) so I hope you will have the same experience. Maybe do a special mailing to those Colorado players to encourage them to drive the extra miles. Maybe your local chamber of commerce can provide "gas vouchers" or something similar to anyone that travels over some mileage level such as 200 miles (or out-of-state players).

This problem has been discussed many times at the board level and it tends to come down to "do we limit the number of tournaments so that each sells out and some members don't get to play" or " do we allow more tournaments so members have options in their area that don't take as much gas to reach, etc." Basically, we are "on the horns of a dilemma".

Probably nothing we can do now but I've copied your complaint in an e-mail to David Gentry and Brian Graham. Maybe we can look at adding a special mileage exception to special anniversary tournaments in the future.

Bob

[smitty]

Another way to look at it.

Hays $50 sanctioning, $10 X 25 nonmembers = $250, $3 x 100 people = $300. The PDGA makes $600 because you ran a PDGA event.



Now Colorado runs the same size event on the same day. They PDGA will get $1200 instead and do the same amount of work.




The reason Doo Dah is able to have a tourney the same day as Nebraska and only have 5 people less is simple. We have had very few cornhuskers at the event. We don't even get people from KC or Missouri. So an event can be run in one of these cities and neither event is going to see much of a swing in numbers.


Now in your situation. The Frontier is going to take a huge hit. 25 people from last year, plus another 25 people that would have come because their buddies said it was a great event. You are drawing from the same people they are, unlike Doo Dah and Nebraska.

There are a ton more players to draw from. Most have very little desire to play a tourney. They play because it is cheap and a great way to spend time outdoors with their buddies. You have a huge local crowd in Hays. I would like to know the numbers on how many people play that course on any given day during the school year. You should try to draw those guys in. The best way to do that would be run a cheap non-sanctioned event at the same time. $15-$20 for a casual event. The problem would be space. If you tapped into that group you would probably get another 50 people. Where would you put them? It would turn what is already a long long round into a marathon.

It would be an absolute headache for the PDGA to try and schedule all the events in a region. It comes down to the TD checking with the State Cord. and the State Cord. checking with surrounding states.

All this said. Do the best you can do. Draw as many old timers as you can and make your event better then anything around and people will travel.

[disclizard]

As some one who doesn't play many events I can say this. People like freebies. If you advertize that you have alot of sponcers and a big pay out that will draw all of your old players from previous years. But if you want to draw new players. Offer a jucie players pack like a disc and minni free cold drink each round and coupons for lunch break. Freebies are what the new guys want cause they all go hopeing to walk away from the tourney with some thing good.

[Eaglehigh99]

Smitty Wrote:
Another way to look at it.
Hays $50 sanctioning, $10 X 25 nonmembers = $250, $3 x 100 people = $300. The PDGA makes $600 because you ran a PDGA event.
Now Colorado runs the same size event on the same day. They PDGA will get $1200 instead and do the same amount of work.

The numbers are slightly off (either that or I misunderstood how you arrived at the $1,200 figure) - check out the following:
C tournament: sanctioning $50; $10 x 25 nonmembers = $250; $2 x 100 people = $200; total to PDGA = $500
B tournament: sanctioning $75; $10 x 25 nonmembers = $250; $3 x 100 people = $300; total to PDGA = $625
A tournament: sanctioning $100; $0 x 25 nonmembers = $0 (only members get to play); $4 x 100 people = $400; total to PDGA = $500
As one can see, the PDGA doesn't receive a significantly different benefit from the three levels of sanctioning using the breakdown that was proposed. Of course, changing the turn-out or the nonmember mix can effect things significantly. On the other hand, if one was comparing the revenue from one tournament to two tournaments on the same day, the effect probably wouldn't be quite the doubling that you showed but the effort at the PDGA level would double instead of being the same as was indicated. Again, no significant difference in revenue compared to PDGA effort involved.

When the board has discussed this issue, our discussions range around what is best for our members and disc golf in general. We haven't even considered the revenue line (maybe not a wise approach).

Other than that, I tend to agree with both Smitty's and Lizard's thoughts.

[smitty]

I came up with the $1200 number this way.

Hays would be sending a check for $600
Colorado would be sending a check for $600


It may not be that drastic. Both places will run events and both will send checks.

I am sure both places will have around 100. CO may have more, since they have more players as close as an hour away.

[mikey]

You could always try offering something new and different to try to attract players from further distances. Maybe the person who travels the futherst gets 2 free night in the hotel. Something that will draw attention to the tour. making it stand out above and beyond the other sched. tour. Not that the 25th Frontier needs any help to do that.

[disclizard]

Or Get a sponcer to donate a raffle prize such as a TV or some thing good . Raffle it off giving every one a free ticket with thier tourney fee and then sell more really cheep like a buck a piece and 15 for 10 bucks . for every 20 they buy they get a mulligan. make some money and have a great price insentative

[smitty]

Or Get a sponcer to donate a raffle prize such as a TV or some thing good . Raffle it off giving every one a free ticket with thier tourney fee and then sell more really cheep like a buck a piece and 15 for 10 bucks . for every 20 they buy they get a mulligan. make some money and have a great price insentative

We are talking about the oldest and best B-tier in Kansas. We cannot give away mulligans. Hays always has the best of the best. Sweet stamps, tourney beer, great classic course.

I would say that we should just not worry about Colorado to much. We will get some of the hardcore Frontier players!We need to try and draw in more Kansans and some Cornchuckers.

[scarpfish]

I think people are going to have to accept that more and more schedule conflicts are going to be the way of the future and its going to be harder and harder to draw people in from out of state for smaller tiered events. I know some folks up I-35 weren't happy when the GBO got moved to their traditional April weekend.

Nonetheless, I think the best defense is a good offense. Start pimping the Frontier...now. Get on every onlne message board that would matter (Colorado, Nebraska, PDGA, DGCR) and lay out the details for the tournament, entry fees, amenities, etc. Get some flyers together and hit every course within 150 mile radius. Have club members carry some mini-flyers in their bags that they can pass to any casuals they come across.

I have been posting the annual KDGA schedule and a three panel mini-flyer with more details on upcoming tournaments on the back of the course sign at Carey since the start of this year, and have been posting our events on the DGCR calendar. Don't know if its gotten anyone to actually attend, but you never know where somebody is looking.

If this is any sign of hope, a C-tier in McCook, NE drew 52 people last month (this was the same weekend as the Rock), and I can assure you that a lot of those folks drove from eastern Nebraska. What helped was that Bruce the TD got the word out early. Looking at the schedule for Hays weekend, the only other thing that might possibly interfere with traffic from that direction would be two one dayers in Eastern IA. I'd start huntin' down some Cornhuskers.

[str8]

I suggest that the PDGA considers an application process for new tournaments or for changing a traditional tournament date. For example, Colorado applies to move their State Championship six weeks earlier than the previous year. Break the region into five states and review past tournament dates within that region. If the new tournament or the changed date of a tournament creates a conflict with a tournament who is "grandfather claused," then the application is rejected for that date. Why does the sanctioning form ask for alternative dates for a tournament? Seems logical that the tour management staff wants time to review past tournie records and eliminate conflicting schedules.

As a TD, it is about networking with players, establishing relationships with players, accomodating players, and ultimately providing the best tournament experience that you can. This is my last year as the TD for this event, and while I hope the Frontier Open last forever, allowing the CO ST CHAMP to continuing hosting their tournament the weekend after labor day is unacceptable.

I have become great friends with Peggy Berry, Sue B, Steve and Kathy Hardyman. They brought some friends, and have talked our tournament up over the years. Tracy has established friendships with Jeff Layland and Tyler Kirkpatrick. Joe Hesting, former Hays resident would like to play and would likely bring friends. My buddy Darin Vlcek and Derick Reish were planning to come and bring more friends. Kevin Rorabaugh invited Geoff Hungerford to come play last year. It just seems that our efforts to network have been shot down because of this conflict. Now my friends from Colorado are in a terrible position. Miss their state championship, or come say farewell to an old friend who vowed to see this tournament through to the 25th. See how many Coloradians came to play Frontier last year for yourself.

http://www.pdga.com/tournament-results?TournID=8234